October 30: 1 Peter 5 5-9
Key Verse: 1 Peter 5 7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you
Devotion:
Here we have a stark contrast between the destinies of humility and pride; humility will bring peace and order in Christians and societies, whereas pride will disturb everything. It is little wonder then we are encouraged to come forward with humility and to set aside our pride. When God gives us the grace to be humble He gives us more than wisdom to do what is right in those ways, He gives us wisdom, faith and holiness. The grace He shows us will bring us greater comfort than anything we can achieve even through the gratification of our most prideful ideas.
Another pitfall of pride is that we need to have things done in our own timescales and not to other people’s times! When we are driven through pride, we do what we can to keep things according to our own rules and times. In other words, we are focusing on ourselves and seeking, in part, to gain the glory from all that we do. But what God wants us to do is to come forward and allow Him to work in His own time. In other words, He wants us to be dependent on Him and not ourselves. He wants to make sure when we see things going along nicely, that He will get the glory for what He does. We may be the ones sitting in the driving seat, but without God, we don’t know where we are and where we are going.
However, we should not be so obnoxious as to think God is going to be our own personal chauffeur for us! We still have to drive the car. We still have to be in control of it. We just need to make sure we drive according to His rules and according to His directions. We still live in a world where Satan is doing his best to trap us in every possible way. We still live in a world where we can “crash and burn!” But we do have God on our side and we do have His protection – so long as we seek it and listen to it and trust in Him. God gives us the grace so that we can stand in faith bringing all our troubles to Him just as He has asked.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you are on a roller coaster?
Are you depending on God?
October 29: Matthew 11 25-30
Key Verse: Matthew 11 28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest
Devotion:
Sometimes it takes the simplicity of a child’s mind to see the truth behind some evil deed or a new person on the scene to see something which everyone currently there just cannot see. Jesus prayer started with an acknowledgement of that is exactly what was happening first; those people who had not been corrupted for a long time by false teaching were the ones who were first able to see the truth when it was shown them. When we become too set in our ways, it takes a whole lot more energy to change those ways!
Being able to tell young people about the gospel and to show them by example may well go further than trying to convince someone who thinks they have heard it all before. Having a small group of people who will sit and listen intently whilst you try to explain God’s Word will be an example for those who may be stuck in their ways to think about. God is the one who is in control and He is the one who knows where His Word is needed most. It may well surprise you to find out it is not where you want to be.
We may be struggling to work as hard as we can to do something our own way when all we need to do is to take a step back and listen to what God is trying to say to us. Children do not blunder ahead until everything is broken, they stop when things start breaking and listen for more instructions. Why should we think we are any different?
When Jesus said we should come to Him, He did not just mean come to me when you are at your wits end; He meant we should bring our burdens to Him, just as He took His burdens to His Father. If we want our Father to help us, then we have to bring our lives to Him and entrust our burdens firmly in His capable hands.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get bogged down easily?
How often do you ask God for help with everyday things?
October 28: Exodus 33 12-14
Key Verse: Exodus 33 14
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Devotion:
Moses was a man whose trust was totally with God. There may have been a few questions in the beginning when he thought God was asking a bit much of a man who had not yet been a leader of a nation, but when he listened, God spoke. His initial questions were not a case of “if you really are going to do this then hadn’t you better start...” but more a case of “you have promised to start, so show me what I must do”. Moses’ attitude was one of “I believe. Here am I. Send me.”
Moses knew he had a relationship with God. It was not just a case of him knowing God was God and he had to do everything that God told him. It was a case of God had promised him a better life if he was willing to make his life with God and not just for God. He knew that God knew everything about him, but it was more that he knew God knew of his intentions and his thoughts. He knew God knew he loved Him, and he certainly knew God loved him. That relationship meant he knew God would show him grace; it was not a question in verse 13 but more of a statement saying he trusted God to take him to the next step in his life with God.
Moses is under no delusion he is powerful or that he is a great leader; rather, he though the opposite. He knows it is because of God they are where they are. He knows it is because of God the people will live in their own land. He knows it is because of God they will be forever God’s people. No matter who is the leader of the land, no matter who is leader of the army or whatever; every people in every land ultimately belong to the Creator. Whether we try to take on our own lives and fail when we die, or entrust our lives in the Eternal God for His eternal protection – we have the choice. Trust in God and He will be with you and give you rest too.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you find yourself fighting the odds?
How often have you seen God smooth the way?
October 27: John 10 1-5
Key Verse: John 10 4
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
Devotion:
What a simple picture this parable paints for us and what an example; and yet the Pharisees could not get it! Life does not have to be so difficult that we do not know what is going to happen from day to day. Life does not have to be discouraging. If we are reliant on One who is able to care for us and to lead us, like sheep rely on the shepherd, then what care should we have of what may be before us?
God’s church is likened to a sheep-fold here, placed squarely in a land where there are dangers to avoid (why else would there be a sheep-fold if there were not dangers?). The sheep-fold is a protection which serves as long as the sheep are within its confines; as soon as the sheep leave the fold, they are no longer protected by the fold but have to rely on other factors. If the sheep were to know just how bad it was outside, would they want to venture out at all? Probably not... But when the shepherd comes forward to lead the sheep out, they hear a familiar voice and are no longer afraid. They know that voice will not allow them to fall into danger and they will follow it wherever it goes.
We are like those sheep – but we also know we are not like those sheep! We may hear the voice of God guiding us through many ways, but we also think we know things which others don’t! We look around and we see dangers and pitfalls and we make up our minds as to whether we think they will trap us or not. We then walk off and face various things because we think we are strong enough to manage them or intelligent enough to avoid the dangers lurking within. Unfortunately for us, we do not know just who has laid those traps and we do not know how dangerous they actually are. Fortunately, we do have a shepherd who is watching over us and will guide us... so long as we listen to Him!
See, that’s the big issue. We need to be willing to listen to God’s instructions in our lives and to be willing to follow His will in our lives. That way He can keep us safely at all times!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel a bit like a sheep sometimes?
Do you trust your Shepherd?
October 26: 1 Corinthians 4 14-16
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 4 14
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.
Devotion:
Do you ever like being told off? Do you ever like being told you are doing things wrong? I doubt any of us do, but there are times when we will have to be told that we have done things wrong... There are many ways of being told off... I can remember my school days when some masters would simply send you off to get the cane, some would give you the “evil eye” and at least one would throw the chalk duster at us! Each had their own ways of getting your attentions when we did wrong and each were effective in their own ways; most, however, were not endearing!
Whilst we could take a similar approach with Christianity and not allow anyone to think anything else, never mind do anything else; it would not make us very popular. In fact, it would do the exact opposite to what we are trying to achieve by chasing people away rather than bringing them in. If we want to show people Christ is a living caring God, then we have to go about it in the right way. Bringing our earthly ways into His realm is not going to show others neither His will nor His ways.
Take a look back in your life as a Christian and think about all the people who have told you about God. Some of them would have told you one thing and done another, others would have been faithfully doing as they taught... but every one of them has made a difference to you. You have learned from them. Which ones have you learned the most from? Which ones have made the biggest difference? Each one of us will have very different answers to those questions because of our different lives.
Don’t try to bring people down to teach them about God. Lift them up to hear God’s Word. Show them love and understanding just like Jesus did. If you want them to be Christians, you are going to have to show them how it should be done so they can imitate you...
Points to Ponder:
Do you like teachers that say one thing and do another?
Jesus always did what He said!