Thursday Reading: Matthew 6 25-34
 
Key Verse: Mathew 6:33
33  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

Devotion:
How many times must Christ continue to tell us how much we can trust in Him before we start to believe it? The answer comes from our own wants... I say wants and not needs because that is what drives us in the worldly society that we live in. We look at things and we covet after them. That drives the way we act and the way we react. Our world becomes centred on the physical things of this world instead of being centred around God...

We don’t have to look very far to see the awesome beauty of the land that we live in. Even in the most inhospitable deserts we find life, put there by God. We find flowers that are so delicate and beautiful that we wonder at their creation. We see birds all around and yet they do not all have to be fed by human hands because God has given them the seeds of the land to live off. Wild animals all have a place in what we call the circle of nature, living off things that live of other things. Why then do we have the need to dress better than others or to spend more than others or to drive cars better than others? That answer has already been said – greed; we covet things.

How are we going to be able to focus on God when we spend all of our time focusing on the physical things that surround us? How are we going to focus on God when our lives are taken up in material progressions that have no other reward other than personal gratification at that time? None of this is going to help us to get to heaven and it will certainly not be coming with us when we die... There is no call for us all to live like cavemen but there is no call for us to live like kings either.

We need to find a balance in each of our lives where we can live a life that others will see as a good example to Christ. We need to make sure that our focus is on Him and not on our own personal gain. With our focus on Christ we will begin to see the needs of others around us and not just the need to satisfy our greed!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like doing things for others – what resources do you use?

How much do others see in you from Christ?
 

Wednesday Reading: Jeremiah 2 1-5
 
Key Verse: Jeremiah 2 5
5  So says Jehovah, What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me and have walked after vanity, and have become vain?

Devotion:
There are so many things in life that need us to persevere; if we start to think that we can get fit and then give up half way through, we will not continue to be fit. We need to stick at things when we start them. Just like a normal relationship, our relationship with Christ has to be maintained from both sides; if we give up on our side of the relationship then it is going to go cold. We need our constant companionship with Christ to continue our relationship with Him right up until the moment when we meet Him face to face.

It is very sad to see someone go cold in their relationship with God. It is even worse when you see them going down-hill and facing all manner of problems which they start to blame on God rather than thinking about what they have been doing. As we walk with Christ we grow with Him and we see just how much He does for us. When we start to walk off on our own, do we really expect Christ to have to follow us on our sinful path or should we be the ones turning back to Him? Those first steps seem to be taken when we have a bountiful blessing in our lives – at that stage we start to look at our blessing and count them for our own. The next step is to celebrate by ourselves, leaving God out of it. From then on we are walking by ourselves again, turning our backs on the very Christ that gave us those blessings in the beginning!

How vain we are to think that we are the ones that can maintain our own spiritual lives. How vain we are to think that it was all down to what we did and not what Christ has done for us. Then when we are down we blame God! What has He ever done against us? He who cannot bear sin, He who cannot temp... How can we ever think that it is He who turns His back on us when we have already turned our backs on Him? We need to celebrate our relationship with Christ by continuing to keep Him involved in our relationship with Him!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you forget simple promises you have made in the past?
 
How can we ever think that God can ever break a promise when He never has so far?
 

Tuesday Reading: Proverbs 27 9-10

 
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 10
10  Your own friend, and your father's friend, do not forsake them; nor go to your brother's house in the day of your trouble; better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

Devotion:
Just as a nice smelling perfume or ointment will bring some pleasure, so too will kind heart-felt advice from someone else. If you drop something without knowing, is it not nice to have someone to tell you that you have dropped it or even to pick it up for you? The simple act of smiling at someone as they walk past can make them smile... And yet such a small act of indifference as ignoring someone can dwell on their hearts for a long time. There is a fine line between being a social friend and an social enemy!

Friends, be them your own friends or the friends of others in your family should be valued. A friend is someone who has passed the test of time; they have stood up to friendship test for a while and now can be depended upon... They need to be valued for what they are and not ignored. How easily you could break down a friendship by a simple unsociable act... one that may well put an end to the trust that was built up over time.

If you are in a spot of bother you need to be able to go to someone who you know will stick by you. When you are down you need to be able to know who you can turn to; you need to know who is going to put up with you in your state of panic or distress. This may well be someone other than a brother or sister... If you are in a panic, the last thing you want to have to do is to fly half way round the world before you can get to see your brother or sister!

This is why Christ continued to promote loving our neighbours. If we are able to make friendships that will stand the test of time and calamity, we will have found a supporting partner close by. Let us never forget the friend we have is Jesus. Let us never forget that He has never turned His back on us, nor has He ever ever ignored us, nor has He ever stopped looking out for us! What a friend we have is Jesus!

Points to Ponder:
What stops you from smiling or greeting people?

What stops you from smiling to or praying to Christ?

Monday Reading: Acts 17 1-9
 
Key Verse: Acts 17 3
3  opening and setting forth that Christ must have suffered, and to have risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is Christ.
 
Devotion:
One of the things that you will find when talking about Christ is that you are going to get some people that will be willing to listen, some not willing and then others that will do whatever they can to derail your conversation! People who are going to act normally and listen (or not) will not put you off your stride and they will not interfere with what you believe. Those that do listen will encourage you and those that do not will discourage you; but rarely will they change your belief. On the other hand the people who are going to rebel and even go out of their way to stop you from speaking are going to be the ones that challenge your faith the most.

Even as an adult teaching young children you will still get those that seem hell-bent on stopping you from teaching the others about Christ. Fortunately children are a bit easier to side track when they try to interrupt teachings; but peers will always tend to get the better of you if you do not have faith that Christ will carry you through.

If Christ is in your conversation, teaching or discussion, then you can know that He will make sure that His Word will get told in some way. You can know that whatever happens will be to His glory (so long as you are willing to allow Him in). You can know that He will carry you through the discussion and that others will listen.

Paul was able to tell a lot of people about Christ and how His life lived up to the prophesies that foretold of His coming and His resurrection. He was able, through use of the scriptures, to convince many of the truth... But there was a substantial group who would not accept the truth because it would mean them having to give up their “self made rules” and follow the truth. They would rather use the law of the land to put down the Law of Christ and they were willing to use whatever means it would take... That also meant taking other believers and dragging them through the mill to try and turn others against Christian teaching. We need to be aware but also to place our trust in Christ!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like it when people side-track your conversations?

How willing are you to allow Christ to win the conversation?