Saturday Reading: Philippians 4 19-20
 
Key Verse: Philippians 4 19
19  But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

Devotion:
According to which bible you read this verse from it is either going to be a wish or a promise. Some versions will read this verse as “I do hope that my God will give you things because I can’t” whilst others read this as “I know my God will give you things even though I can’t”. The way I look at it is; we are talking about the God of everything, the God of grace, the God of salvation, the God of all nature… This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by whom all things were created, by whom man was saved, for man was crucified, died and rose again… how could it be anything else other than a promise from a God who loves us?

 

When we place our faith and trust in God, we need to make sure that we do exactly that. It’s no good saying “I trust you” if you are going to continue holding on as much as you can yourself. It’s no good saying “I have faith” when you are quite clearly gripping on to things yourself. We need to show our faith and trust by placing our lives squarely in Christ’s hands – where they are safest of all!

 

We go through life thinking about the things that we need – we think of the food that we need, the money we need to buy the food, the house over our heads, the water in the tap, the electricity and gas for the heating… But how much thought do we give to the spiritual needs in our lives? How much do we concentrate on the unseen things in our lives rather than the “wants” and “desires” we see everyone else has too?

 

We are here on this earth because God created everything for us. We are here because of His love for us. We are here by Him and through Him alone. If we really believe that and we really do care about it, then should we not be showing Him that we do? Should we not trust Him? Should we not be giving Him the glory for everything He has done?

 

Points to Ponder:
What do you need physically to survive?
 
How much do you thank Him for giving you those essentials?

Friday Reading: Philippians 4 10-14

 

Key Verse: Philippians 4 13
13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

Devotion:
We all know how good it is to receive help, especially when we are in a spot of bother! So, if we know how good it is to receive help, then we should be willing to allow others to feel that by helping them. Most of us will not admit to being in a tight spot until we are up to our necks in it and others see us struggling. Most of us will think that someone may need a bit of help but still not step forward because the other person does not acknowledge that they have a problem. People tend to use the excuses of ‘personal space’, ‘privacy’ or ‘not being nosey’. In reality, most people would not turn down help when it is offered…

 

God’s word teaches us that we should be content with all that God gives us. It teaches us that we should not lust after things. We also learn to be content with what we have knowing that temptation can cause discomfort and unrest in even the most placid surroundings. But right from the beginning, God made two people. He made us to be sociable. He made us want to help each other. He made us want for friendships and partnerships so that we can have the chance to love one another. So what holds us back?

 

Pride, vanity and lust host us back from just about everything in life. Our lust for things will make us to go after things that we have no idea about. It will make us want, just because others have it or just because it is there. Vanity will cause us to take on more than we can handle. It will make us to do things that we don’t have much of a hope of accomplishing. Then our pride will stop us talking to others about things in our lives. It will hold us back from asking for help. It will hold us back from offering it too.

 

It takes a special person to be there for you, always. It takes a special person to be there for others, always. We don’t need to be out there asking for more – we need to be out there offering more…

 

Points to Ponder:
Do you like helping others?
 
Have you given much thought as to how God helps you to help others?

Thursday Reading: 1 Corinthians 15 1-11
 
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15 10
10  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was toward me has not been without fruit, but I laboured more abundantly than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

 

Devotion:
The central part of our Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. Without it, we become nothing more than any other religion. But with it, we can see how the promises made and the prophesies told in the Old Testament come to fruition in the New Testament. With it we have hope of eternal salvation and our belief is not in vain. We need to make sure that we stand fast by God’s Word because it shows us all that has happened and all that will happen. It is a perfect record of all the God wants us to know in order that we can grow in our faith.

 

Paul knew this to be true and he knew that he was given a gift by which he could go out and teach the gospel to many people. He had a very low opinion of himself because of the things that he had done in the past, especially to Christians. But he also knew that through the grace of God, through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, he had a firm hope of eternal salvation. No matter how hard he tried to work, how much work he did for Go and how many people he was able to preach to, he knew that nothing could every compare to God’s grace. He knew that it was able to cover all of his sins and he knew it was able to cover everyone else’s sins.

 

God will completely forgive us of our sins because the perfect sacrifice has been made. What he will not do is to take them out of our heads. He leaves us with the memories of our sins so that we can continue to marvel at His amazing grace. He allows us to remember so that we will return humble, diligent and faithful. When we remember our sins we bring to mind His power and His grace. The gospel is there to allow us to remember what He has done to and for others. The truth is there to allow us to remember what He has done for us!

 

Points to Ponder:
Are you proud of everything you have done in your life?

 

Where would you be without God’s grace?

Wednesday Reading: John 3 27-33
 
Key Verse: John 3 31
31  He who comes from above is above all; he who is from the earth is earthly and speaks from the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all,

 

Devotion:
One of the most important things that we too often forget is that God is the one that gives us things. He is the one that allows things into our lives so that we may prosper or even learn from them. He is the one who is in control. How easy it is to forget this when we receive a surprise gift or when we fall into trouble. We also have to remember that when we get into a position of power or influence, God is the one that must still be in control and not us. He has trusted this position of influence to us so that we can glorify Him and not so that we can get a name for ourselves!

 

John knew that all his life. He always knew that he was the one that had to tell people of the greater good that was coming. He knew that he was just the bridegroom’s friend, the best man. He knew that he would have the privilege of standing next to God and proclaiming that He has the one. His joy was in serving His Saviour, Christ and not in taking over the wedding because he was there first! That is not something that we would intentionally dream of doing, but it is what is happening in our lives.

 

We get there first because God has given us the position to be there. What we need to do is to remember that fact and make sure that we make sure that people know that He is still coming. Yes, He has already come to earth. Yes, we do have the Holy Spirit with us. But, yes, He is going to return. When He does that, we need to make sure that we are on His side and not trying to fill His shoes! We are still from this earth. We cannot imagine things above this earth until we have had some experience; that experience will only come when we die from this world. Be patient because God has a plan for each of us. He knows what is best for us and He is going to make sure that we get it as long as we are willing to receive it and not to try and take it by force!

 

Points to Ponder:
How often do you receive gifts?
 
How often do you thank God for those gifts?