Tuesday Reading: Genesis 3 1-19
 
Key Verse: Genesis 3 17
17  And to Adam He said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life.

Devotion:
Despite the simplicity of the beginning of the bible, we have so much to learn from the first few chapters that they should never be ignored. Far too many people will ignore these chapters just so that they do not have to believe that God created us or that we are sinners; but the fact still remains that both are true and need to be known!

Adam and Eve were given the perfect environment in which to live and were given access to all that they required – but they chose to go that little bit further than that which they were allowed just to see what it was like. The temptation was just too great and they gave in! We are shown temptations each day and we still give in despite the amount of things that we can learn from our bibles that show us that we should not give in...

Each one of us will see disappointment when either our friends or family make choices that we tell them are not good – yet despite the warnings they go ahead and find out for themselves how bad a choice it was. Each one of us will also be on the receiving end of those choices too as we make them. Those temptations just to find out a bit more than we should know are just too great for us.

The laws are there for a reason and God’s Word is here for that same reason – to show us the correct way of doing things. We have the choice as to whether we are going to listen to the truth or if we are going to try and see what lays ahead if we go against the law. We are the ones making an active choice; there is nobody else to blame but us for making that choice.

But God continues to give us a way out of our bad choices by making one choice that will last forever – the choice of believing in and following Him.

Points to Ponder:
How easily are you tempted?

Are you asking God for strength to face your temptations?
 

Monday Reading: Jude 1 5-7
 
Key Verse: Jude 1 5
5  But I intend to remind you, you once knowing these things, that the Lord having delivered a people out of the land of Egypt, in the second place destroyed the ones not believing.
 
Devotion:
No manner of outward profession, outward living or outward appearances will ever secure a position for anyone in heaven. It is not the fact that someone goes to church, nor the fact that they give of everything they own nor the fact that they can indeed teach others that will save them from the wrath of God. There is nothing that will prevent God from delivering true justice to all men. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ.

God brought the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to walk through testing times in the desert to prove that He is all powerful and to deliver justice. God chose the Jews as a people and yet even they were not all safe from His judgement. Those that refused to believe in Him even though He had physically got them out of slavery would face His wrath there in the desert. He sustained them and protected them and made sure that they survived against all odds; yet in amongst them there were still those who refused to believe that power. That was their choice and their own undoing.

Of all the angels that God created, there were those that refused to submit to His power, wanting instead to reign in His stead. For them a life in chains waiting for the final judgement; be it considered to living on death row – you know you are guilty and you know what you punishment is, you just have to wait for it to be served!

If God has considered angels to be locked up awaiting judgment, do you think that He will not consider man for the same fate should we not choose to follow Him? Of all the things that have happened in the past after all His promises; do we have the gall to think that we should get away with it when no being has yet gotten away with it? Let us not forget our position. Let us not forget our God. Let us return to Him in true repentance!

Points to Ponder:
Do you think you get away with things?

Have you considered that God is always present?
 

Sunday Reading: 2 Corinthians 13 1-6
 
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 13 5
5  examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith, prove your own selves. Do you not know your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are reprobates?

Devotion:
Can you image the following with me? There is a classroom with a few loud children in it. The teacher manages the classroom well whilst he is there but he gets a message that he is to go and meet someone during class time. He tells the children to behave and continue with their work after giving them an easy task to complete. He then warns them that he is going to return and pops out for a few minutes to prepare for his time away. After those few minutes he returns to see all manner of chaos breaking out because the few loud children have taken over... After getting them back in line he then gives them a stern warning saying that when he returns once again, anyone caught playing up will be excluded from the class. The children have seen him return the first time and should now know that he will return as promised but they do the usual thing and mess things up! What is going to happen when the teacher returns after his trip to meet the other person (who just happens to be the headmaster that he is picking up from the station)?

Whilst the teacher is with the children, all of them behave; but when left alone, those that are not really listening to his instructions will find their own fun and go off and do it. Those few are the reprobates; the ones that will bring punishment upon themselves because they refused to listen to a simple instruction...

Just like this the disciple was faced with returning to Corinth to find out who was causing the chaos amongst the people; a few had decided that they did not really want to believe or had not believed or had believed that they would get away with things before his return. He now gave them their final warning in writing to say that he was on his way back soon!

We have already had our written warning from Christ that He will return to this world. It does not specify exactly when so we have to make sure that we are ready and waiting...

Points to Ponder:
How many times have you been caught red-handed?
 
Are you ready for Christ’s return?
 

Saturday Reading: 1 Corinthians 11 23-29

 

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11 26

26  For "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show" the Lord's death until He shall come.



Devotion:

Paul here remembers what Christ did at the last supper and reminds us
of that same fact giving us visible signs so that we can bring those
memories to our minds. Christ took bread and broke it saying that we
should remember His body that was taken and broken for us. He also took
the cup and said we should remember His blood being shed. Then he
reminds us that as often as we do eat bread and drink, we will do so
with remembrance of Him; and then adds that we need to continue to do
this until He comes to take us home.



Just as we have been given instructions of what we should and should
not do through the commandments and laws, Christ also gave us tasks to
do that would make sure that we can remember Him always. These things
are here to keep fresh in our minds what Christ has done for us, not
just the fact that He has suffered and died for us, but for the fact
that Christ has promised us that He will stand for us when we should
face God for our sins. We celebrate His grace each time we remember His
death. We give Him all the glory each time we remember what He has
accomplished for us and that is why we need to do it always. Each time
we do so we also need to remember that we are renewing our promise to
God that we are giving Him the glory but that we are also doing what we
can to not allow sin into our lives.



God can give us the power to overcome sin. God can protect us from
evil. God can guide us. We are the ones that have to believe in Him,
trust His power, go to Him for protection, listen to His guidance and
to make sure that we do so willingly and with remembrance for all that
He has done! Doing this means strengthening our relationship with Him;
this means that we must be doing our bit to ensure that we continue in
His will and not mans will.



Points to Ponder:

How often do you think about what Christ has done for you?

 

Are you continuing to uphold your promises to God?