Tuesday 25 Mar 2008

Tuesday Reading: Romans 3 19-20
 
Key Verse: Romans 3 20
20  because by the works of the Law none of all flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law is the knowledge of sin.
 
Devotion:
Have you ever heard someone trying to explain that they are allowed to do something because the bible tells them they are? Or have you listened to any court cases where the people have been able to avoid being found guilty because the law says something slightly different to what they have done? One of the failings of society is that we use the laws of the land to both good and bad affect. When we want to stop people from doing bad things, we try to uphold the law. But when we want to get out of trouble, we abuse the law!
 
If we were to be brutally honest, we would never abuse the law for our own good. We would admit to our own failings and try to change things before carrying on. But not all laws of our land are there to find people guilty because many of them are there to protect people from the unscrupulous. The difference between the laws of the land and God’s law are vast! The law of the land may be there to serve the community, but God’s law is there simply for us to see our own shortcomings.
 
Without the law, we would not be able to identify our mistakes. With the law, we can. Without the law we would not know what to avoid. With the law, we do. Without the law we would loose interest in seeking the truth because we would get carried away with our sins. With the law we have an idea where to stop. The may be ways of seeking justification through the law of the land, but there is no way of seeking justification through God’s law! We all need to admit to our guilt. That may sound vary harsh, but it is the truth! We are all condemned for breaking God’s law. We cannot bring any corruption into God’s law. But through Christ we all do have an Advocate who is willing to prove us not guilty if we trust Him because He has already paid for our misgivings!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you think enough people obey all of the law of the land?
 
Would you ever be able to keep all of God’s law?

Monday 24 Mar 2008

Monday Reading: Proverbs 30 32-33
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 30 32
32  If you have done foolishly in lifting yourself up, or if you have thought evil, lay your hand on your mouth.
 
Devotion:
If you are like me, then I’m sure that you would have been in a few situations where you have said that you would do something out of anger and then regretted saying that. I’m not talking about saying things in response to what is said to you, but rather in saying something after you have built yourself up into a false position. When I was younger I would talk myself up into positions that I knew I did not hold just so that I would look good. Then when the time came for me to prove that I was what I said I was, things fell apart!
 
It is still a part of our human nature to take on a mantle that does not rightfully belong to us – some would say that that is the way to move forward in life… But how can you move forward on a lie? Yes we can say what our abilities are and what we believe we can do, but elevating yourself into a false position is just a plain lie. We may simply lift ourselves up in thought and not in deed; but according to God, that is one and the same thing. We each know our position. We know whether we are kings or queens. We know whether we are government officials. We know whether we are directors. We know whether we are employees. We know where we are. Making yourself more important than you actually are will have its side effects…
 
Have you ever tried whisking cream to thicken it? If you whisk a bit too much it very quickly turns from thick cream to butter! Yet if you try the same with the wrong sort of cream, it will take a very long time to being to thicken – more often that not we will end up throwing it out because “it doesn’t work”… If we try and keep up any pretence in our lives, as that pretence is tried it will go one of two ways. Either we get found out as not being who we said and we get thrown out, or we will get pushed further than we think and we turn into something we don’t need! Don’t give yourself a false label, live up to what you actually are… A child of God.
 
Points to Ponder:
Are you living a life that you are not?
 
Are you living up to what God made you?

Easter Sunday 23 Mar 2008

Sunday Reading: Matthew 28 1-8
 
Key Verse: Matthew 28 6
6  He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
 
Devotion:
How many times does someone have to tell you something incredible before you believe them? Jesus had told the disciples of the incredible things that was about to happen, yet their faith was not yet strong enough for them to believe that He would actually be able to raise Himself from the dead. After Mary and Mary had discovered the tomb to be empty and had returned to the disciples telling them the news, they still had trouble believing it. We don’t have to have trouble believing it because it is all written down now that we can have the proof!
 
I can just imagine the confusion, excitement, hope and even terror that followed from this first visit back to the tomb. First the initial confusion about just what had happened to Christ. Had His body been stolen? Had someone done the unthinkable? Where could He be? The excitement as they started putting things together to realise just what Christ had achieved! The excitement that He was alive! The hope given to all people who believe in Him; the hope that we too will be able to conquer death through Him. And then the terror of all those that had done things against Jesus. If He was capable of this, what could He do to them!
 
Christ rose on the third day, just as He had promised. This is the day that the Lord rose; Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath day. This is the day we now observe as our day to remember what Christ has achieved for us. This is the day that He defeated death fro us so that we may have eternal life with Him. This is the day that has given us all that we need to be happy in Jesus. This is the day that we need to be giving Him all the honour and all the praise, showing Him that we believe, trust and obey Him.
 
He is alive! Come and worship our risen Saviour!
 
Points to Ponder:
What extraordinary things have people done in your life?
 
Who but Christ has died for you and then risen for you?

Saturday 22 Mar 2008

Saturday Reading: Luke 23 44-47
 
Key Verse: Luke 23 47
47  And when the centurion saw what had been done, he glorified God, saying, Truly this Man was righteous.
 
Devotion:
So many people tell us all about what a horrible time this is for Christians. Easter, the time when Christ was crucified… Yes, you can look at it as a horrible time, but you have to look past that and see the truth. So many people will celebrate Easter, yet so few will do it for the right reason. We are told of all the terrible things that happened to Christ and we dwell on that. We dwell on the human side, the suffering and the pain. What we need to be doing instead is simply realising that it was done for us. Christ went to that cross for me! Christ went to that cross for you! It is an individual thing, very personal, between Christ and you.
 
There were many witnesses to the facts so that we know exactly what happened to Christ on the cross; so much so that we are able to make films and documentaries about it to teach others. But I don’t see any of those films and documentaries giving the simple message… He did all of this just so that you will believe and trust in God!
 
Standing next to Him that day was a Roman Centurion. These are the hard guys, the marine captains or commanders if you will. These are the guys that don’t believe in anything apart from getting the job done. They have seen it all in battle and probably don’t care anymore… Yet this one had watched it all and simply by what Christ had said and done, He knew that Christ was who He said He was. He knew that Christ had done nothing wrong. His experience with criminals left him in no doubt…
 
Why then can’t we see the light? Why then can’t we see the truth? Is it because we have too comfortable a life to worry about things like that? If that is true, should we be surprised at all when things go wrong so that we do think about God? God is. God will forever be. We just need to wake up to the fact!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you have to get into trouble before you realise you have done wrong?
 
What more does God have to do before you recognise all you have done?

Good Friday 21 Mar 2008

Friday Reading: Matthew 8 5-13
 
Key Verse: Matthew 8 8
8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my boy will be healed.
 
Devotion:
Believers come in all shapes and sizes… But it is that true belief that Christ is looking for, not the “pretend stuff” that people are going t show off by going places and being seen there doing something! How many people do you know that go to church just so that they can be seen there. They don’t always go, because there are so many other things to do in their lives, but they have to be seen a few times a month at least… It is a sad fact that many people who do go to church are doing it out of duty and not by faith.
 
We need to make sure that our hearts are right with God and not right with ourselves. We need to make sure that God is the one that is first in our lives and not our own feelings and desires. We need to allow others to see that He is first, but not to show off about it. God is the one that is concerned about what is in our hearts. He is not concerned about where you go to church or how you go or even if you go… He is concerned about how you love Him!
 
Loving Him with all you heart and mind will allow you to do things for Him without thinking about it. It will allow you to make sure that He is in fact first in your life. It will demonstrate to others just how much you love Him without you actually having to think about it… because so many people will be able to see if you are making a show about it. Our Roman centurion in this passage demonstrated his true love for Christ by admitting to Christ exactly what he was like, but putting his full trust in Christ at the same time. With that knowledge alone, Christ healed his son. Tell Christ you love Him this Easter!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you show off you love for your partner by telling others everything?
 
Do you tell Christ that you love Him?