Monday Reading: John 12 20-26
 
Key Verse: John 12 24
24  Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.
 
Devotion:
How many times have you heard the phrase “the only famous artist is a dead one”? There does seem to be a lot of truth in that phrase; so many people do not get taken any notice of until they die. Then people stand up and listen, albeit too late! So much can be said and done whilst we are alive, and yet sometimes it takes a drastic thing to happen in our lives before we get taken notice of. The last thing we should even be thinking of is having a go at being dead… that is not going to get us anywhere!

 

But what we can do is die in this world; not a physical death, but a spiritual death. Before we know Christ, we are ‘alive’ in this world but dead in His world. When we do accept Him as Saviour we then die from this world and live in His world. By living in this world, we close ourselves off from a life with Christ. By living in His world, we close ourselves off from a life without Him. We still have an issue with our sins, but we know that He has already paid the price for them.

 

When we do let go of life in this world, we can then focus on a new life with Christ. That is the point at which we can be seen to die in this world. That is the point where others will start to notice a change in us. That is the point where they will be asking questions within themselves about how we have changed. If we then flop back into their world, we are in essence saying that we have not changed and that we are exactly the same as them – lost!

 

Christ has already paid the price. He has already given us everything we need to have a life with Him. He has already given us a way that we can show others about Him through our actions. Let other people see that you have died in this world and that you now live a better life with Christ by your side!

 

Points to Ponder:
Can you remember the last time someone commented on how you have changed?

 

Will God see the change He wants in your life?

Sunday Reading: John 12 1-7
 
Key Verse: John 12 5
5  Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?

 

Devotion:
How often are we so caught up in things that we forget the more important things in our lives? How often do you get so caught up in playing games or doing something that you enjoy that you forget the time? How often have you been so engrossed with something that you really enjoy that you forgot to do something for the people that you love? I’m sure we can all put our hands up and say that we have been guilty of that at one time or another… I know that my work does tend to over-run my life at times!

 

We all have special people in our lives; most of us would hold our families or partners above all other people. But where do we hold God?

 

Martha and Mary reacted to Jesus’ miracle in very different ways. Both ways were right. When we have someone do something for us, we are more than willing to do something for them. I am sure that both would not have known how they could ever repay Jesus for bringing Lazarus back to life, but they tried in their own ways. Martha wanted to make sure that Jesus was treated as best as possible, rushing round and getting everything physically possible together to cater for every need that she could think of. I’m pretty sure that anyone would have been impressed with what she had done. Mary, on the other hand, reacted in a very personal way, opening a very valuable jar of ointment and anointing the feet of Jesus with it.

 

Judas Iscariot reacted in a very earthly manner demanding an explanation for the waste of money! How many of you have had your parents shout at you for doing something that you thought was quite legitimate? Judas did not see the absolute love that Mary displayed; all he saw was money being poured down the drain!

 

Showing your love for someone does not have to be through the most expensive gift you can buy. It can be through a single simple action that shows that you do think of them! Show Jesus that you care for Him today…

 

Points to Ponder:
How do you like showing people that you care for them?
 
How often do you make a point of making sure that God comes first?

Saturday Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3 6-15
 
Key Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3 6
6  Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks disorderly, and not after the teaching which he received from us.

 

Devotion:
Isn’t it amazing just how we seem to keep on bringing out the worst in some people? Do you not think it strange that some people will do anything but work to get money? They will tell lies, the will fake illness and even death just so that they can get money that does not rightly belong to them. It is not going to just be money, but anything to do with wealth and even comfort. People will go out of their way to make sure that they get as much as possible – no matter what the consequences may be if they are found out!

 

I don’t know if you have ever been in contact with someone like that, but they will always find some argument to put forward to justify why they are doing things. They have become so adept at doing that that they will start to convince others that they are actually right even though they are at fault! Satan is the master of lies and will entrap anyone who is willing to listen. He will cast all sorts of lies before you to justify why you should listen to them and spin a web that will seemingly support itself… That’s the thing; if you compare it to God’s Word, you will find that there is no substance in what he says!

 

When we are faced with people like that in our lives, we have to try to make sure that we do not get trapped in the things that they are involved with. They will seem like a good idea at the time and they may even seem profitable – but when looked at closely, you will always see the faults… as long as you compare it to the truth and not to more lies that come out of them. This is why we have to be very wary about ‘hanging out’ with these people. They will drag us down before we can attempt to lift them up. We must cast out the lifeline and give them the means to see their own mistakes, but we must not be their judge and we should never dive in to try and help when we know what it is like down there!

 

Points to Ponder:
Do you know people that are always in trouble?
 
Have you allowed them to see how good being a Christian can be?

Friday Reading: Matthew 16 27-28

 

Key Verse: Matthew 17 28
28  Truly I say to you, There are some standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

 

Devotion:
There may be some debate amongst scholars as to whether this passage talks about the times immediately after the day of Pentecost or the final judgement. I’m not here to try and make out which period it is concerned with because the message is still clear whichever way it is looked at; and still the same!

 

God has given each of us an edict to go out into the world and tell others of His Word. How we do that is largely going to be according to our abilities. There is no way that we could all go out and preach God’s Word to others because some do not have that ability. But each of us does need to make sure that we do what we can to allow others to know that we stand up for Jesus wherever we go! If we are not doing that, then we are ignoring God. Why should we do that? Are we not assured of our salvation no matter what? (There always seems to be a but just around the corner)

 

If we get a steady job, in an ideal world, we are assured of an income from that job. What we are not assured of is how much money we get from that job. The harder we work, the more likely we will be to get more money for what we do. Oh how easy it is to think of things in worldly terms; money and life! What we need to remember is that we are headed for an eternity with God where we will have things that we cannot dream of yet. We will not look upon things as being dependant on money, wealth or comfort but rather on things we may not yet understand.

 

God continues to reward us with blessings whilst here on earth. He continues to give us things and continues to allow us to live so that we will be able to be a living testimony for Him. The better we do our job, the more likely we will be rewarded for what we do. The more we are willing to draw closer to God, the closer we will be and the more of His comfort and strength we will feel. It really does depend on what you do after you have accepted Him back into your life!

 

Points to Ponder:
Do you like it when your parents reward you?
 
How much more would you enjoy rewards that God can give?