Friday 29 May 2009

Friday Reading: 1 Corinthians 15 1-8

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15 2
2  by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

Devotion:
All of modern Christianity is based on the fact that Christ died and then rose from the death. Before Christ came the scriptures were not fully understood that we would have a Saviour who would lay down His life and raise it up again. It was understood that the Messiah would come and the Jews were certainly looking for Him, but, just as the scriptures said would happen, they rejected Him. When we look back on the scripture we can understand exactly what they mean in reference to a Saviour who lays down His life for us – it all looks so obvious when we look back...

If we removed Christ from our beliefs then we would have nothing, we would have no hope and we would certainly have no future! Imagine looking at life and thinking that there is nothing when you die. Is there then any hope for actually living! With Christ, however, we have that hope and we have that promise of eternity. We can look back on the ancient writing about God and know that He is real because what we know now supports what was first written. There is no hiding the truth; no matter how hard the scientists try to prove that there is no God, they cannot, and will not!

The apostle saw himself as being one born out of due time. What he intimated with these words is up for discussion still – but when we get to heaven we can ask him. What is clear is that he did not see himself as being worthy of the position that he was given or that we hold him up to now. He saw himself as a sinner who worked against Christ – and yet Christ still chose him to be an apostle for His cause. He lived by faith, knowing that he faced an uncertain death, but a certain eternal life afterwards. Be safe in the knowledge that we too can share that eternal life if we believe...

Points to Ponder:
Do you think about life and death?
 
Do you trust Christ to deliver you?

Thursday 28 May 2009

Thursday Reading: Genesis 3 6-8
 
Key Verse: Genesis 3 7
7  And the eyes of both of them were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made girdles for themselves.

Devotion:
Just when you thought you were strong enough to resist the smallest of temptations, you give in and fall flat on your face! We all come across things in our lives that we think are small fry or no bother until we actually give in and do them; then we find out the true depth of the hole we have just dug for ourselves. Likewise there are also small things in our lives that actually need to be done, and we put them off or don't do them; and then we find out that what we have not done just happens to be rather important!

There are small things in life that are actually very important when they are there or when they are missing. Take a cotter pin for example, a small and otherwise insignificant looking part that can be the one thing that makes a vehicle move; the example most people may relate to is the cotter pin that holds the pedal cranks on a bicycle and allows the rider to pedal. What happens when we lose that small thing that is so important? Well, in the case of the bicycle cotter pin, the bicycle becomes useless and may well be a hindrance rather than an asset. Or you could look on the other side of the coin and think about a small piece of metal in an otherwise smooth and clear oil. Use that in a tight fitting place like and engine and you may well find the engine breaks down after a very short time due to that one piece of metal contaminant.

When we look back on the fault we see just how important something so small can be in our lives; not just to make sure that we have machines that work, but that we have lives that work. Adam and Eve had a perfect existence in the Garden of Eden only to be totally ruined by one small lack of judgement. They thought that what they could do would make them better in some way. We certainly do not start out perfect in life but we can gain perfection through what Christ has done for us. We may think we know how to do it best, but Christ has already done His best which is more than good enough for us... Believe Him this time...

Points to Ponder:
Do you trip up all the time?

Are you trying to trust in yourself rather than God?

Wednesday 27 May 2009

Wednesday Reading: Galatians 6 1-5
 
Key Verse: Galatians 6 2
2  Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfil the Law of Christ.

Devotion:
When we start to recognise the strongest amongst ourselves, we will look up to that person and even expect that person to be able to help us out when the going gets tough. It's not a case of us needing to depend on someone but rather that we will accept help from someone who they know can help. But it's not up to the person experiencing the problem to have to beg for help but rather up to the person doing the helping to offer it. Would you expect someone to help you out if you knew that they would get trapped into the same problem or issue from which you require help?

Being able to share a problem will always make that problem seem a bit lighter unless your helper gets trapped in the same issues in which case you may well seem like you’re doubling the problem rather than halving it. We also need to be aware of the fact that we are not always as strong as we think we are and that we may be the ones falling into the same trap as others rather than helping them... Being able to recognise your own weaknesses will ensure that you do not go where you know you will fall! If we want to be able to help others then we have to make sure that we are secure to begin with. Roping yourself to another mountain climber will not help much unless they are secure...

When we look for someone who is strong, willing and able to help out we can always look up to Christ. He is our Rock and He alone is the one that is able to help us out of the holes that we dig for ourselves. He wants us to bring our problems to Him so that He can not just lighten our load, but take on our load. Knowing this, we can step forward and accept His help safe in the knowledge that He will succeed because He has already proven that He is able to resist the strongest temptations from the devil! He alone is able to take on our burdens without falling into the same holes as we have. If we want to be able to help others then we can depend on Christ’s help to make sure that we are supported and then able to help others.

Points to Ponder:
Do you like helping others?
 
Are you secure in Christ?

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Tuesday Reading: 1 Corinthians 12 24-27
 
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12 26
26  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.

Devotion:
We have a good number of chapters written by the apostle that remind us of the fact that we are all one church; that church is a complete collection of people who believe in God. Many may say that they believe in God but do not show that they do through what they actually do do. Many do not openly say that they do but they firmly believe... That is just our interpretation of the beliefs of others through how they act (so when someone tells you that it is not important how you act but just how you believe, remind them of this fact).

Why should it be important to act as a single body of believers? The answer to that is just what we have seen – we make up our minds about how people believe through what they do; so too does the rest of the world. If people are not going to act like Christians, then the world will not see them as Christians. If, however, they say they are and then do not act as Christians, the rest of the world will begin to think that Christians must act as they do.

When we step forward in this world, we are not just stepping forward as people but as Christians. We do not just step forward to show how good a Christian we can be but we step forward representing God. If you go forward to represent your company, school or family, you go forward with a certain pride to allow others to see that what you represent is a good thing. This should be especially true when we step forward as Christians. If we step forward as a bad example we are pulling every other Christian down with us, but most important of all, we are pulling God down in others eyes. We need to step forward and step up to show that God is wonderful!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like to dress up?

Are you being a good Christian example?

Monday 25 May 2009

Monday Reading: 1 Corinthians 9 16-19
 
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 9 18
18  What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
 
Devotion:
Why do we do the things that we do? Is it for personal gain, monetary gain, and political means or is it just because we enjoy doing what we do? Most of us will have to admit to all of the above because we would have done things for various rewards be them personal or other. There may be very few things that we do for the good of the community rather than for our own good. There always seems to be motive behind things that we do... Is that right? Or is that wrong? That is a question that you are going to have to ask of yourself and it may well be difficult to find an answer. I cannot hope to pass judgement on anything that you do, but I can compare what I do with what the gospel tells me; that way I can find out if what I am doing falls in line with what God expects of me.

It is no good trying to compare what we do against the rest of the world because most of the world does not seem to work for God, but against Him. It is no good comparing yourself against a ruthless business person because you would be comparing yourself against his world. It is no good comparing yourself with a great preacher or evangelist because you are not in their shoes. God does not call us all to do the same thing but to do different things in life so that we can help and support each other in Christian love.

The apostles were called to go out into all the earth and preach the gospel. That is what they were called to do and anything short of that would be failing in their work for God. It is not the earthly rewards that we should be seeking for heavenly work but heavenly rewards. To be able to give out God’s Word as freely as we can is a fantastic reward in itself, knowing that we are able to tell someone else of God’s fantastic gift to us all... We are all given free will and free choice, but we are all called to continue in God’s ways because He has given us true guidance in the gospel.

Points to Ponder
:
Do you seek reward for everything you do?

Would you accept Christ’s love as a reward?